A typical lunch for Savannah Veggies and Vegans Pres. Marsha Godzinski Hargreaves consists of fresh greens, pasta, beans, cucumbers, and sweet potatoes. It is the largest meal of her day. (John Carrington/Savannah Morning News)

“I was raised a Southerner. I ate like Paula Deen for 50 years,” she said.

But just more than a year ago, the 56-year-old registered nurse decided to leave it all behind. After seeing some online videos of animals at factory farms and meat processing facilities, Hargreaves gave up eating meat and dairy products.

Her motivation was philosophical, but she soon noticed a side benefit. She rapidly began losing weight, and her cholesterol levels plummeted by more than 100 points. One day, she stepped on a scale and read the same weight she had known in high school.

“I wasn’t even trying to do that,” she said.

Now, she’s trying to encourage and support others working toward a plant-based diet such as vegetarianism or veganism. Her group Savannah Veggies & Vegans aims to help omnivores cut back on eating meat, or cut it out altogether.

“It has literally changed my life in a thousand remarkable ways,” she said. “I feel like I have a winning lottery ticket, that I want to run down the halls of the hospital yelling, ‘Let me help you!’”

Vegan demand

The vegan diet goes beyond most vegetarians — who don’t eat meat, poultry and fish — to cut out all animal products including eggs, cheese, milk, and other dairy products.

Vegans, also called “strict vegetarians,” often avoid foods made with animal products such as lard, butter, gelatin or honey.

Some supporters of Savannah Veggies & Vegans hosted a booth earlier this month at the Georgia Organics Conference, where they gave away free copies of “Vegetarian Starter Kit,” a booklet by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

The group has hosted educational events at community centers, businesses and public events and is planning to host vegetarian/vegan potlucks and a booth at the April 23 Earth Day Festival in Forsyth Park.

The attention comes amid national renewed interest in meatless diets.

In February, an Atlanta theater hosted a sold-out screening of the independent documentary, “Forks Over Knives,” featuring Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine physicians Colin Campbell’s and Caldwell Esselstyn’s assertion that well planned plant-based diets can prevent or reverse most degenerative diseases.

The documentary is scheduled for national release in May.

A grassroots campaign called “meatless Monday” encourages people to start the week off with a healthy, meat-free meal.

With endorsements from celebrity chef Mario Batali, the concept recently caught on at the cafeteria at Memorial University Medical Center. Sodexo, the hospital’s food service provider, initiated meatless Mondays in January throughout 900 of the hospitals it serves across the country.

At local restaurants, vegetarian options abound, says Kristin Russell, owner of the Sentient Bean coffee house and cafe.

But vegan meals aren’t easy to come by in restaurants.

Due to increasing demand, Russell began adding regular vegan items to her already vegetarian menu about three years ago, she said.

Today, about half of the baked goods and a number of entrees are vegan. They usually sell out, she said.

“You don’t have to be a super intelligent person to know that if you have a niche market and you have satisfied customers, you should build on that,” she said.

Bigger helpings

The American Dietetic Association recommends all types of vegetarians consume a variety of foods including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds to ensure proper nutrition.

Vegans should pay special attention to getting enough calcium, iron and protein, which can be found in a small number of plant-based foods or supplements.

But even young children, including infants and toddlers, can gain their nutritional needs from a well-planned vegan diet, according to the ADA and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Hargreaves works to get six to seven servings of fruit a day. Mornings usually start with a fruit or leafy green smoothie, and lunches consist of a large salad topped with beans, salsa, or raw vegetables and supplemented with a sweet potato on the side.